Skull: A Concept
That Man in Purple
A hazy, summer morning filtered through the small, abandoned park. Lying in the middle of the park, underneath a small oak tree, was Skull. The stuntman was currently dozing off lightly, resting peacefully in the silence that filled the place he was currently occupying. The only thing that deterred him from falling asleep completely was the often shifting around in different positions. Fortunately for him, there was no stress of work or pursuit following him that day, just him and a peaceful mind.
Usually on days like this, Skull would go to the café nearby and eat there. But Skull currently wasn't in the mood for social interaction, especially since some of his fans frequented there often and would usually mob him to get an autograph. And, then there were those fans who would try to go even further than autographs. Those were the ones Skull had to watch out for and being forced to constantly be alert would not help him relax in the slightest. That was the reason why this park was the perfect place for him to rest. It was actually an abandoned one and therefore it did wonders for Skull's frayed nerves and emotional stability.
As time passed, Skull started pondering on the things that had happened to him prior to this day. He knew that sometimes dying was not fun. Scratch that, it never was, but Skull could usually brush off the psychological effects. Some days, however, Skull needed a break, and this was one of those days and he would receive what he desperately needed even if it meant missing an Arcobaleno meeting.
Ok, so maybe Skull was a little bit anxious over skipping the meeting, but it's not like the others hadn't missed a few as well. He was not that apprehensive about not attending the meeting because he had nothing in common with the rest of the Arcobaleno, other than the fact that he possessed the power to conjure cloud flames. Other than that nothing connected them. He never grew up as a part of the mafia, nor did he have the ruthlessness to kill someone… Well, he originally didn't. Another difference was the fact that his fighting skills did not come from personal training, but attending self-defense and Krav Maga classes. But learning a fighting style and actually using said fighting style against opponents who had better experience in general were two completely different things. There was once also the possibility of not even finishing said classes.
There was also another reason why Skull would be absent was that none of the Arcobaleno seemed to be particularly fond of him. There were numerous things their disdain could be pinpointed to, but there was one chief reason. More often than not this question was asked - how could a boy with no experience with the mafia be an Arcobaleno? It seemed to infuriate everyone in the mafia that someone with no experience and who was seemingly quite useless, was chosen as an Arcobaleno, rather than those who had secretly been training and prepping for it. The Arcobaleno seemed to be the grumpiest of the lot, though. In fact, Skull reckoned that if he didn't appear, they'd end up celebrating in their own way. This thought actually spurred Skull to appear in all the meetings, just to ruin the mood.
Huffing, Skull turned around sluggishly, pouted and the proceeded to pick at the grass near the roots of the trees. Focusing on his surroundings, Skull could make out many things in the park such as the smell of wet tree bark, wild flowers and moss. The fluttering of a butterfly's wings, the chirping of the birds and the wind blowing past the leaves reached his ears . Frowning in concentration, Skull spotted a ladybug on one of the blades of grass to his left, not noticing the figure coming up from behind him.
Suddenly someone grabbed him. The abruptness with which Skull was slammed into the tree made him shriek in both pain and surprise. A hard crack was heard as Skull moaned from the agony the collision with the solid tree bark caused.
"Owww…" Skull whimpered, as he sat up and rubbed his injured head. Looking up, Skull scowled at the baby standing in front of him.
"Reborn…" He whined, pouting at the fedora wearing baby. He then asked "…What did you do that for?"
Skull felt a shiver crawl up his spine after he blurted that out. His body shuddered involuntarily when his gaze met with that of Reborn.
"Useless lackey, when the Arcobaleno have a meeting, everyone must show up. No one gets special treatment." Reborn stated, secretly infuriating Skull.
Folding his arms, the stuntsman glanced to the side and glowered. He then asked piteously, "And what happens if I was doing something important?"
"Lackey, you are clearly not doing anything important. Get up and move." Reborn barked at him as he prepared to leave.
'Once again… Another reason why I can never truly be an Arcobaleno. I'm not treated as one of them. No special treatment my ass. You, Viper, Verde and Colonello often do not show up. Fon is too considerate of others to not show up.'
Skull inwardly frowned as his mind took a different route. He once again mentally recited one truth that never changed – clearly, if you were not considered strong enough, then you were not allowed to have an opinion.
'It seems that even if they don't want me there, they actually prefer it in order to keep an eye on me rather than allowing me to run free.'
Standing up, Skull strolled out of the park, only just realizing that Reborn had disappeared. Skull sighed as he inwardly grumbled.
'Didn't even have the decency to wait for me?Damn Reborn...'
Huffing, Skull walked past the café he often visited. As he strolled down the streets he realized that oddly enough, even as a baby, everyone recognized him which was quite peculiar given the fact that no one actually noticed that he was a baby. He could not help but wonder why.
A/N: The long waited third chapter. Once again, thank Queen of Rhymes for beta-proofing it. Please leave a review over your thoughts and queries.